Mar. 12, 2014
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A man crosses the street through the snow on March 12 in Bowling Green, Ohio. / J.D. Pooley, AP

by Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

by Doyle Rice, USA TODAY

Yet another winter storm brought snow to the Midwest and Northeast Wednesday, wreaking travel havoc from Chicago to New England. The National Weather Service posted blizzard warnings in New York State and winter storm warnings in northern New England as heavy snow assaulted the region.

In Ohio, the State Highway Patrol says two people died and a trooper was seriously injured in snowy crashes involving at least 50 vehicles on the Ohio Turnpike.

In New York State, it was the first time in memory that Buffalo experienced two blizzards, defined by sustained high winds and reduced visibility, in a single season, meteorologists said. The last blizzard was in January.

Between 10 and 24 inches of snow was expected in some areas from the eastern end of Lake Erie to the Adirondacks, with the highest totals forecast for counties bordering the southern shore of Lake Ontario.

Due to the storm, airlines canceled more than 1,260 flights and delayed more than 2,500 others. In Chicago, a wet snow cancelled nearly 400 flights at O'Hare International Airport.

More than 34,000 were without power in northern Illinois while more than 6,000 customers were without power in Chicago alone, according to AccuWeather meteorologist Kristina Pydynowski.

The Weather Channel reported 11 inches of snow near Orwell, Vt., the top snow report so far from the storm east of the Rockies.

Earlier, in Chicago, "the roads were just horrible, it was pretty hazardous conditions out there," said Stephen Rodriguez, National Weather Service meteorologist in Romeoville, Ill.

The snow pushes the 2013-14 season total in the Windy City to 79.1 inches â?? the 3rd-snowiest on record, according to the weather service. Weather records in Chicago go back to the 1884-85 season.

Snowfall totals in southeastern Michigan could come close to breaking a 133-year-old record. The storm will likely move the Detroit area close to the seasonal snow total of 93.6 inches set in 1880-1881, according to the weather service.

The Weather Channel has named the storm Winter Storm Vulcan, the network's 22nd named storm of the winter season.

In Burlington, Vt., the National Weather Service is forecasting 10-20 inches through Thursday, possibly reaching an intensity of 1-2 inches an hour. This would make it the biggest snowstorm of the season for the northern Vermont city.

Ed Martin and Ann Farnham sat at Panera Bread in Burlington Wednesday morning looking out as the storm started. "I'm happy because it's the last one," he said.

South of where the snow falls, strong to severe thunderstorms could wallop portions of the Mid-Atlantic later on Wednesday. Cities such as Philadelphia, Washington, Richmond, Va., and Raleigh, N.C., are at risk of damaging winds, according to AccuWeather meteorologist John Gresiak.

"There may be enough spin in the atmosphere to spark an isolated tornado or two," Gresiak said.

Once the storm roars though, bitterly cold Arctic air again will plunge across much of the central and eastern USA Wednesday and Thursday.

Near-record low temperatures are possible Thursday morning and Friday morning in the Great Lakes and the Northeast, according to the Weather Channel. Cities such as Detroit, Toledo, Ohio, Fort Wayne, Ind., and Grand Rapids, Mich., could see lows in the single digits.

Many locations will see temperatures 20 to 40 degrees colder Thursday than Wednesday. Washington, which will see highs in the 70s on Wednesday, will endure temperatures only in the 30s on Thursday, along with howling winds.